Machine for treating sheet material



Sept. 19, 1944;

C. D. KNOWLTON MACHINE FOR TREATING SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 2, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet l fivvawmq ms Sept. 19, 1944.

C. D. KNOWLTON Filed June 2, 1942 3 Sheets-finest 2 Sept. 19, 1944. Q Q KNQWLTON 2,358,334

MACHINE FOR TREATING MATERIAL Filed June 2, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.6

Patented Sept. 19, 1944 2,358,334 MACHINE FOR TREATING SHEET MATERIAL Cutler D. Knowlton, Rockport, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemin ton, N. 1., a. corporation of New Jersey Application June 2, 1942, Serial No. 445,473

17 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for treating sheet material. While the invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for brushing dust particles from both surfaces of tanned hides and skins, it is to be understood that in various novel and useful aspects the invention is not limited to use in machines of th illustrated type.

Brushing machines for light leathers, such as tanned calf skins and kid skins, have heretofore been so constructed that the work piece has to be introduced for treatment of about half of the work piece, after or during which it must be removed, reversed, and again introduced to finish the treatment. This is due to the fact that the difilculty of feeding such light leathers edge-on has heretofore been considered insurmountable, although the desirability of such a machine has long been recognized from the standpoint of increase in production. Due to the prevalence of static charges on the surface of th work piece and/or in the dust particles, during brushing operations on both light and heavy leathers, it has heretofore been considered necessary to provide special equipment for carrying of! the static charge. Even then the results have not been entirely satisfactory.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine 01 simple construction which will be effective for the removal of dust from one or both surfaces of hides and skins and will at the same time secure greatly increased production through the fact that the work pieces may be introduced edge-on and pass clear through the machine, thereby completing the treatment of all portions of a given work piece upon once being introduced into the machine.

It is an important feature of the invention that special means is provided for feeding light leathers edge-on through the machine in spiteof the fact that high velocity air currents are generated to take of! the dust removed by the brushes.

A further important feature of the invention resides in an arrangement by which high velocity air currents are generated in a space in close juxtaposition to the feeding-out side of the brushes to carry off dust-laden air so effectively that dust once removed from the surfaces of the work piece by the brushes cannot again settle on such surfaces. In order that work pieces may be fed edge-on past the brushes and through the space where the said high velocity air currents, as modified by air currents produced by the brushes, tend to displace the advancing end of the work, special means is provided for picking up such end of the work piece and guiding it into the work feeding means.

In the illustrated construction, the work feeding means beyond the brushes includes endless belts having their adjacent runs moving in a direction to draw thework piece past the brushes, such belts being of foraminous material to permit passage of dust-laden air therethrough. Conveniently, woven wire belts are utilized for the purpose and are arranged to pass over relatively very small metal rods located clos up into the angle between the brushes and on the discharge side of the brushes, the arrangement being such that the brushes contact the woven wire belts where the latter pass over the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of the two metal rods, the result being that air in the relatively small triangular space at the feeding-out side of the brushes can readily escape only in th direction of travel of the cooperating runs of the woven wire belts, thus tending to direct the forward or advance edge of the work piece into the bite of the belts.

' Associated with the cooperating runs of the two feeding belts are presser members which engage the oppositely facing surfaces of such cooperating runs to cause the latter to grip the work piece with just sufllcient pressure to keep this work piece spread out and feeding in the desired direction. Since, in dry weather particularly, static charges are generated and distributed over the surfaces of the leather or other sheet material undergoing brushing operations,

- tending to attract and hold dust particles on the surfaces of the work piece subsequently to the brushing operation, it i desirable to discharge such static charges, this being readily accomplished by grounding the small metal rods at the forward ends of the wire belts, it being preferable to ground also the said presser members which press on intermediate portions of the operative runs of the belts.

As shown, the inactive or return runs of the woven wirebelts are enclosed in shield members in close juxtaposition to both surfaces of such return runs thereby minimizing th entrance of air along such surfaces of the belts into the suctlon chamber at the forward or feeding-in ends of the belts where the dust-laden air would tend to collect were it not for the high velocity air currents produced by a blower system designed for the purpose,

These and other important features of the invention and novel combinations of parts will now be described'in' detail in the specification and then pointed out more particularly in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view of. a brushing machine illustrating one embodiment of the invention, said view being a longitudinal sectional view along a plane passing vertically through the machine;

Fig. 2 is a detail of the work feeding belts;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to the right end of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail of supporting means for the forward ends of the work feeding belts;

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in section, of part of the supporting mechanism shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a more or less diagrammatic view of an extension of the air suction system of Fig. 1.

In the illustrated machine, which is specially designed for brushing operations upon tanned hides and skins, there are provided upper and lower brush rolls 6 and 8 operative to brush the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of a work piece 9 passing between them. In such an arrangement, the lower brush roll 8 may be regarded as a work supporting roll during brushing operations by the upper brush roll 6, this being particularly true where only one surface of a'work piece requires a brushing operation. For feeding the workpiece 9 to the brush rolls 6 and 8 there is provided a pair of feeding-in work retarding rolls i0 and I2 which may be rubbercovered rolls, as indicated in the drawings, it being understood in this connection that other suitable feeding-in rolls may be used such, for

instance, as spirally tufted brush rolls'operative to exert a certain spreading action during the feeding. inof a work piece. While rubber rolls are suitable for certain kinds of leather such as side leather, the spirally tufted rolls are more suitable for feeding light leathers such as kid, sheep and calf skins. To facilitate entrance of the forward edge of a work piece into the grip of the rolls Ill and I2 there is provided a feeding-in table 14 which projects through a slot iii in the front wall I8 of a chamber 20 which encloses the feeding-in rolls and the brush rolls. It will be understood that the feed rolls Ill and 12 control the work piece undergoing brushing operations. They are driven at a peripheral speed to feed the work pieces at a rate of about 50 feet per minute. On the other hand, the brush rolls operate at much higher speed, from 900 to 1200 R. P. M.

In order to carry off the dust-laden air from the chamber 20, means is provided for causing high velocity air currents to pass through said chamber, the idea being to remove all dust once it has been lifted from the surfaces of the work piece by the rotating brushes 6 and 8. To this end, the chamber 20 (Fig. 1) communicates through restricted openings 22, 24, respectively,

above. and below the plane of the work piece with conduits 26 and Y28 (Figs. 1 and 6) leading to a conduit 21 of large size from which leads a pipe 3| with flexible connections to a fan chamber 29 having therein a suction fan 29a. of the desired efiiciency. For instance, a partial vacuum measured in terms of about 4 inches of water at the restricted parts 22, 24 (Fig. 1) of the conduits has been found to be satisfactory for the purpose. Leading from the fan chamber 29 is a conduit 33 which is connected to the usual low pressure blower system for carrying off dust from the tannery. There is thus provided an ar rangement in which a high pressure blower system of comparatively low volume (Figs. 1 and 6) is connected to empty into a low pressure system 4 of larger volume. To increase the force and eiiiciency of the air currents passing through the chamber 20, all the necessary openings into said chamber are kept to a minimum in size and are shielded by means hereinafter described.

Special tensioning means is provided, in ..re illustrated machine, for picking up the advance edge of the work piece after it has passed beyond the brushes 6 and 8 and for feeding the work piece past the brushes under a certain amount of tension so that the work piece 'will be spread out to efface wrinkles or folds, thereby facilitating removal of dust uniformly from all portions of both surfaces of such work piece. In the illustrated construction, the said special means comprises an upper feed belt 30 having a lower or operative run 32 and a lower feed belt 34 having an upper operative run 36, the runs 32 and 36 of the feed belts cooperating to engage opposite surfaces of a work piece such as that shown at 9 to feed the latter in a direction away from the brushes 6 and 8. Conveniently, pressure members 31 and 39 are provided to press on the runs 32 and 36 of the belts sufiiciently to cause the latter to engage the work piece 3 with an efiective feeding pressure. Preferably, the presser members 31 and 39 are carried by bars 4| adjustable toward and from each other in the frame of the machine to suit the pressure exerted by members 31 and 39 to the work pieces being treated and particularly to the thickness dimensions of the latter. In order that the endless feed belts 30, 34 may effectively pick up the advance edge of the work piece just after it has passed through between the brushes 6 and 8, the said belts are arranged to pass around relatively slender rods 40, 42 (Fig. 3) positioned close up into the angle between said brush rolls 6 and 8 and immediately exterior to the brushing or contact areas between the work piece and the brushes. Conveniently, the rods 40 and 42 are carried by arms 44 project ing rigidly in a forward direction from upper and lower crossbars 46, 48, respectively. As shown, the arms 44 also provide bearings for upper and lower shafts 50, 52, respectively, these shafts carrying rotatably roller sections 54 and 56, respectively. Conveniently, the shafts are metallic and the roller sections are wooden. As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the roller sections 54 and 56 furnish movable supports for the return or idle runs 58 and 60, respectively, of the endless helts 30 and 34, as well as for the operative runs 32, 36 thereof. At their rear ends the endless belts 30, 34 movably engage rubber-covered rolls 62 and 64, the latter being power driven by means (not shown) to cause said endless belts to feed the work piece away from the brushing rolls 6 and 8.

Since the forward ends of the belts 30 and 34 must enter the chamber 20 and be positioned close up to the brush rolls 3 and 8, it follows that openings must be made in the walls of the chamber 20 through which the idle runs of the said endless belts 30, 34 may pass. As stated, it is important to restrict the amount of air entering the chamber 20 in order to maintain high efliciency in the suction apparatus and to secure high velocity air currents in said chamber. Hence the upper and lower runs 58 and 60 of the endless belts are shielded by members Ii, 12

conduits 26 and 28. Furthermore, dust-laden air in the small triangular spaces 80 (Fig. 3) may escape into the space between the operative runs of the belts 30, 34 and thence of the air currents the advance edge of the work piece is sucked into such space between the belts. In other words, the force of the air currents is such as to support the advance edge of the work piece substantially in the plane of that portion of the work piece passing between the feeding-in rolls I and I2 and the brushes 6 and 8. If, however, the advancing edge of the work piece after it leaves the brushes 6 and 8 should turn either upwardly or downwardly, as it sometimes has a tendency to do, it will be picked up by the adjacent portion of the operative run of the conveyor belt. Since the operative run of the conveyor belt 30 Bin contact with the brush 6 it will clearly have the the brush 8, the operative run of the lower belt 34, where it turns over therod 42, will pick up the advance edge of the work piece and direct it upwardly and into the space between the belts.

Some of the dust-laden air is of course carried clearly in Fig. 3, and 8 tend to become compacted together more or less where their ends contact the belts 30 and 84, the purpose being to when the advance edge 01' the work piece is Just leaving the brushes 6 and 8, the purpose being to described, air currents which into the space between the conveyor belts 30, 34, dust-laden air continues to travel along with both surfaces of the work piece by reason of the In order that the conveyor belts and particularly the operative runs thereof may be adjusted toward and from each other, the bars 46 and 48, respectively, are adjustably carried in frame members or standards 84 (Fig. 4), the said bars 46 and" being adjustably supported by screw threaded bolts 86 mounted adjustably in brackets 88 extending in spaced relation to each other from the frame members 84. As stated, the bars to the passage of the dust-laden air through the chamber 20.

The rods 40, 42, the carrying arms 44 therefor, and the bars 46, 48 are all of metal, as are the standards 84 in which the bars 46, 48 are mounted. Furthermore, the pressure members 31 and 39, which engage the upper and lower operative runs, respectively, of the belts 32 and 34, are also of metal. The metallic machine frame, the

Hence, there is no static charge on the leather engaged by the wire belts which would tend to prevent the air currents from the surface of the leather. Thus air currents entering the suction chamber 20 under the upper rollers 54 and over the lower rollers 56 at high speed and under forced draft will serve to remove and carry off any dust on the leather surface. Furthermore, air currents entering under the upper rod 40 and over the lower rod 42 are also high speed or forced draft currents and will be effective to pick up and carry along dust from the triangular spaces 80. It will thus appear that elimination of static of the high velocity air currents just mentioned, satisfactorily explains the efliciency of the illustrated construction in the removal of dust from the leather work pieces.

In operating the machine, a piece of work such as a tanned piece of side leather 9 is entered by shoving it over the feeding-in table I4 until its forward end is engaged by the rubber-covered rollers I0 and I2 which are turned in a direction (Fig. 1) to feed the work piece to the brushes 6 and 8. Because of the fact that the brushes 6 and 8 are turning in the same direction as the upper and lower feeding-in rolls I8 and I2, respectively, the work piece is directed with certaintyinto the space between the brushes. The operation of the air currents inthe chamber 28 and particularly in the small spaces (Fig. 3) together with a picking-up action of the forward ends of the conveyor belts 30, 34, are, as heretoing members being in marked contrast to machines of the prior art in which the work pieces must he inthereof and then be withdrawn to -be reversed end for end and again introduced to complete the treatment thereof.

Having described my as new and desire to secure the United States is:

1. In a brushing machine, a member for brushing one surface of a work piece of sheet material, a member for backing the work piece against the thrust of the brushing member, a chamber enclosing said brushing and work backing members, upper and lower endless belts projecting into said chamber and terminating close up into the angle between said brushing and work backand cooperating to pick up between. them the advancing end of the work piece and to carry the work piece along past the brushing member, the endless belt on the brushing side of the work piece being of foraminous construction, shield members in cooperative relation with respect to the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of the upper run of the upper feed belt and of the lower run of the lower feed belt to minimize entrance of air into-the said chamber by way of said moving belts, and means for causinvention, what I claim by Letters Patent of ing air currents to pass through said chamber and through the foraminous belt to carry ofi dust from the vicinity of said brushing member. I

2. In a machine for brushing hides and skins, a pair of brush rolls between which a work piece may be entered edge-on, a chamber surrounding said brushes, means arranged to withdraw dustladen air from the brush chamber, endless belts having their forward ends flexed on suitabh supports close up into the angle between said brushes and on the discharge side of the brushes cooperatively to receive between them the advance edge of the work piece and to feed the work piece along past the brushes, and means on the inlet side of the brushes for controlling passage of the Work piece.

3. In a brushing machine, a member for brushing one surface of a work piece of sheet matei rial, a member for backing the work piece against the thrust of the brushing member, a chamber enclosing the brushing member, work tensioning means projecting into said chamber and terminating close up into the angle between said brushing and work backing feed the work piece along past the brushing member, means on the inlet side of the brush member for controlling passage of the work piece, and means arranged to withdraw dust-laden air from the brush chamber.

4. In a brushing machine, one surface of a work piece of sheet material, a

roll for supporting the work piece against the brush, a chamber enclosing said brush and work supporting roll, work feeding means projecting into said chamber and terminating close up into the angle between the brush and roll for receiving the work piece as it passes beyond the brushmembers and adapted. to

s'aid brush and roll.

.troduced for treatment of a substantial part passes beyond a brush for brushing impel it along past said brush and the inlet side of the brush for work piece, and means to pass through said the vicinity of ing roll and to roll, means on controlling passage of the for causing air currents chamber to carry ofi dust from 5. In a brushing machine, a brush for brushing one surface of a work piece of sheet material, a roll for supporting the work piece against the brush, a chamber enclosing said brush supporting roll, upper and lower endless belts through which, air may now, said belts projecting close up into the angle between said brush and roll and cooperating to pick up the leading end of the work piece and to advance the work piece along past the brush, the brush being arranged to treat a continuous strip along the entire .width of the work piece surface before said strip contacts the endless belts, means for causing high velocity air currents to pass through said chamber and through the belts to carry off dust from the vicinity of said brush roll, and means on the inlet side of the brush and roll for controlling passage of the work piece.

6. In a brushing machine, upper and lower members for brushing opposite surfaces of a 'work piece of sheet material, a chamber enclosing said members, means for causing air currents to pass through said chamber to take dust from the vicinity of said members, upper and lower coopcrating endless belts through which air may flow, said belts projecting into said chamber to receive the advance edge of the work piece as the latter passes beyond said members and to feed the work piece past the members, means arranged to support the forward loop ends of said endless belts close up into said angle between the brushing members and in contact with said members whereby air currents set up by the moving brushing members tend to escape through the operative runs of the belts, thereby producing a current of air to urge the advance edge of the work piece into the bite of the endless feed belts.

'7. A brushing machine constructed according to claim 6 in which cooperating members are provided to feed a work piece edge-on to said brushing members in an arrangement in which said feeding-in members are driven at a somewhat lower rate than said endless belts whereby the work piece is maintained under some tension lengthwise to facilitate brushing operations.

8. In a brushing machine, upper and lower brushes for brushing opposite surfaces ofa work piece of sheet material, a chamber enclosing said brushes, means for causing air currents to pass through said chamber to take dust from the vicinity of said brushes, upper and lower coop the advance edge of the work piece as the latter said brushes and to feed the work i piece past the brushes, and relativelysmall parallel bars or rods about which the belts may flex and for supporting the forward ends of said endless belts close up in said angle between the brushes and in contact with said brushes whereby air currents set up by the rotating brushes are caused to escape in part at least with the operative runs of the belts. I

9. A brushing machine constructed according 'to claim 8 in which driving rolls are provided at ends of said endless belts to drive the the rear latter, together with idler rolls spaced from said rods to guide said belts toward and over said bars or rods, and a common means of support for the idler rolls and said rods.

10. A brushing machine constructed according to claim 8 in which cooperating rolls are provided to feed a work piece edge-on to said brushes in an arrangement in which the said cooperating rolls aredriven at a somewhat lower rate than said endless belts, whereby the work piece is maintained under some tension lengthwise to facilitate brushing operations.

11. In a machine for brushing hides and skins, a pair of brush rolls between which a work piece is entered edge-on, a chamber surrounding said brushes, suction means to withdraw dust-laden air from the brush chamber, a pair of small diameter guide rods located close up into the angle on the feeding-out side of the brushes, and woven feeding belts passing around said rods and having their operative-run surfaces moving in a direction to receive and cooperatively grasp the advance edge of the work piece and to feed the work piece past the brushes.

12. In a machine for brushing hides and skins, a pair of brush rolls between which a work piece is entered edge-on, a chamber surrounding said brushes, suction means for withdrawing dustladen air from the brush chamber, a pair of small diameter guide rods located on the feedingout side of the brushes close up into the angle formed by said brushes, woven feeding belts one of which is power driven, each of said belts passing around one of said rods and all belts having their operative runs moving in a direction to receive and cooperatively to grasp the advance edge of the work piece and to feed the work piece past the brushes, rollers for guiding said belts, and shield members associated with the belts and arranged to minimize entrance of air into the chamber, thereby causing high velocity of the air currents in the brush chamber.

13. In a machine for brushing hides and skins, a pair of brush rolls between which a work piece is entered edge-on, a chamber surrounding said brushes, suction means capable of generating high velocity air currents to withdraw dust-laden air from the brush chamber, woven belts having their forward ends close up into the angle between said brushes and there flexed on suitable supports to receive the advance edge of the work piece between them and to feed the latter along past the brushes, and feed rolls located closely adjacent to an entrance slot in the wall of the brush chamber, said feed rolls being located in contact with the cylindrical surfaces of the brush rolls to minimize the amount of air drawn in to the brush chamber through said entrance slot.

14. In a machine for brushing hides and skins, a pair of brush rolls between which a work piece is entered edge-on, achamber surrounding said brushes, suction means capable of generating high velocity air currents to withdraw dust-laden air from the brush chamber, a pair of guide rods located close up into the angle on the feedingout side of the brushes, woven wire feeding belts passing around said rods and having their adjacent surfaces moving in a direction to receive the advance edge of the workpiece and to feed the latter past the brushes, 9, pair of rollers inside of each endless belt to support and guide the latter, one of said rollers being power driven to drive its associated belt, shield members associated with the inactive or return run of each belt to minimize escape of air from the chamber thereby contributing to the provision of high velocity air currents in the brush chamber, said rollers at the forward ends of the said belts being composed of sections arranged end to end, and arms extending between said sections and projecting forwardly to support said rods, the arrangement being such that the rod supporting arms are relatively widely spaced from each other to offer minimum obstruction to the high velocity air currents passing through the brush chamber. 15. In a brushing machine, a brush roll for treating one surface of sheet material, means for supporting the sheet material against the brush roll, walls enclosing said brush roll and supporting means with entrance and exit for the sheet material, endless conveyor belt means mounted to form a loop exterior to said brush roll and supporting means and projecting into the chamber formed by said walls and terminating close up into the angle between the brush roll and the supporting means, means cooperating with said conveyor belt means to advance the sheet material from between said brush roll and said supporting means and through the exit, means on the inlet side of the brush roll for controlling passage of the sheet material, and blower means to pass air through the said chamber to remove dust therefrom.

16. In a machine for removing dust from hides or skins, a casing having an inlet and an outlet for a work piece, means near the inlet for controlling passage of the work piece, two parallel closely adjacent members, at least one of which may be power rotated to brush dust from the work piece as it passes through the casing in contact with and between the two adjacent members, blower means to remove dust from the casing, and endless conveyor belts mounted for runs immediately exterior to the contact areas between the work piece and the said members, said belts having adjoining runs cooperative to ad- Vance the work piece from the said contact areas and through the casing outlet.

17. In a machine for brushing hides or skins, a casing provided with inlet and exit slots for a work piece to pass therethrough, two rotative brush rolls positioned simultaneously to brush both sides of the work piece in such passage, a fiat supporting means to guide said work piece from the point of brushing to the casing exterior, and an endless belting arrangement mounted on a roller at one extreme position, and on small supporting means at the other extreme, said belting arrangement being power driven to coopcrate with the flat supporting means to remove the work piece between them from the brush rolls, said small supporting means being located within the angle of the brush rolls and at the work discharge side thereof, and said casing being in-' cluded in a blower system to remove dust from the vicinity of the brush rolls.

CUTLER D. KNOWLTON. 

